5 Shows to Watch While ‘Doctor Who’ is Away

As we reported earlier this month, Doctor Who was pulled from streaming services across the United States at the end of January. Since then there has been a TARDIS-shaped hole in our hearts. Fans without the DVD collection now must search for something to fill the void. Anyone who has ever gone on that particular quest can attest; finding something to watch online is no easy feat. To help our readers, the staff writers at Krypton Radio have complied a list of five shows, worthy of geek and sci-fi viewers, that are still available on streaming subscriptions throughout the states.

Michael’s Pick: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The animated Nickelodeon series that came out around 2012 is probably second only to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series that came out around 2003. While the previous series was darker and more in line with the original Eastman and Laird comics, this newer version follows that closely, but provides more humor. Greg Cipes, who plays the voice of Michelangelo, almost steals the show. Jason Biggs, Rob Paulsen, and Sean Astin play Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael, respectively. However, in Season 3, Seth Green replaced Biggs. This series is a hit for anyone who is a fan of the TMNT franchise.

74 Episodes available on Hulu.

Susan’s Pick: Broadchurch

Broadchurch was created and written by Chris Chibnall. It stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman as the leads, and Arthur Darvill has a recurring role, meaning there are many Whovian alumni to watch and admire. The first series (which premiered on 4 March 2013), focused on the death of an 11-year-old boy and the impact of grief, mutual suspicion, and media attention on the small town where the incident happens. The series is a griping mystery, that will leave you guessing throughout. The only downfall is the series is very British, in that there are only a handful of episodes per series, and lots of time to wait from one series to the next. Also, like many British series, there is an American counterpart (called Gracepoint) but in this case it’s best to stick to the original. Series 1 & 2 are complete and available on Netflix, the third is just now in production.

16 Episodes available on Netflix. Series 3 coming soon.

Nick’s Pick: Arrow

Comic book television shows are more commonplace than ever, it seems. Arrow is my pick, because it revolutionized superheroes on TV with great cinematography, well-done choreographed fight scenes, and more serious character-driven drama than before. Not only that, but its success laid down the foundations for a DC TV universe in The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Constantine, and Supergirl. It also encouraged the production of other TV comic shows, such as Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Daredevil, and Gotham.

69 Episodes available on Netflix. Season 4 currently airing/in production.

LC’s Pick: The Twilight Zone (Original Series)

The Twilight Zone is my top choice because it broke ground and has great social commentary. A lot of early television science fiction was basically a regular show with a different setting. My Favorite Martian, for example, was simply a sitcom set in space. But The Twilight Zone broke the mold and the episodes still stand the test of time. Many are as timely today as they were a half century ago. Keep your eyes peeled for many notable actors, such as William Shatner and Robert Duvall, who had guest roles in the Anthology. This article provides a spotter’s guide to finding these guest stars.

122 Episodes available on Netflix. Also available on Amazon Prime.

Nicole’s Pick: Supernatural

Much as I tried to fight it, because it might already be so well-known, there is no other series I could recommend for this list. For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, Supernatural is the story of two brothers, who travel the country to hunt monsters and fight evil, while stressing the importance of family. So far, the only Doctor Who alum is Mark Sheppard, who shows up in Season 5 as Crowley. But the other talent on the show is fantastic! Many of the recurring guest stars and crew members worked on The X-Files original series, giving it that extra level of nerd-cred. Supernatural can be delightfully meta at times, and one of the most endearing things about the show is their willingness to poke fun at themselves (just wait until you watch “The French Mistake” in Season 6). And like Doctor Who, Supernatural is one of the few shows to cover so many genres (monster movie, western, time loop, etc.) and still have it make sense within the canon of the show. Another bonus is this series has a plethora of episodes, meaning maybe the good Doctor will return to our screens by the time your binge watching is complete.

218 Episodes available on Netflix. Season 11 currently airing/in production.

Those are our top picks! What shows are helping you get through this Who-less time? Let us know in the comments.

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